India captain Rohit Sharma responded to every question at the pre-match press conference ahead of the Cricket World Cup final in his nonchalant style. He never seemed to be under any pressure. While he might be unperturbed by the immense pressure of expectation, losing is not an option for him anymore. It’s still unclear if he will be part of the India squad for T20 World Cup 2024 and BCCI will discuss his future before the India Tour of South Africa.
The reason? He is 37. While fans might argue that he has at least 3 years left in international cricket and India will play three ICC tournaments during that time, he may not be around to play those. India will play in the T20 World Cup 2024 and ICC Champions Trophy 2025. India could also play in the WTC Final 2025 if they qualify. But his dwindling T20 form does not put him ahead of the pack. And he may not continue to play Tests for another two years. The same goes for ODIs.
Hence, Cricket World Cup 2023 could be his last chance to win an ICC trophy after the 2007 T20 WC.
Will Rohit Sharma retire from one format?
After the T20 World Cup debacle, the focus shifted to ODI World Cup. But the idea was to sit down with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and discuss their future. It was one of the points in chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s job description.
Two years ago, there were doubts about Rohit’s longevity due to a string of injuries and poor run of form. But that’s out of the window now. He has been India’s unsung hero in Cricket World Cup 2023 with some blazing knocks. Rohit has scored 550 runs at 55 average and 124.15 strike rate this World Cup. That he has played 33 international games and 16 IPL matches in 2023 is a testament to his fitness. He has also been as fit as ever.
Rohit Sharma in T20s in last 2 years
| Matches | Runs | Avg | SR | HS | 50/100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20Is | 31 | 767 | 26.44 | 138.19 | 72 | 0/5 |
| IPL 2022 | 14 | 268 | 19.14 | 120.18 | 48 | 0/0 |
| IPL 2023 | 16 | 332 | 20.75 | 132.8 | 65 | 0/2 |
However, it’s his T20 form that could cast doubt on his return to T20 World Cup 2024. Rohit Sharma has not played any T20Is since the last T20 WC and his IPL form has not been great either.
A senior BCCI official told InsideSport that whether he continues to play in T20Is will be discussed ahead of the South Africa tour. Rohit won’t be part of the 5-match IND vs AUS T20 series. But as India play three T20s in South Africa and it could be India’s penultimate series before the T20 World Cup, selectors need to discuss plans.
After Rohit returns from a break following the World Cup final, Ajit Agarkar will discuss with Rohit Sharma whether he wants to continue playing in T20Is. In any case, India have a successor plan in Hardik Pandya as the T20 captain.
